Iowa
After blizzard, Iowa faces days of ‘life-threatening’ wind chills
Blizzard to evolve over central US into the weekend
A new storm moving into the central United States will have the potential to shut down travel due to heavy snow, strong winds, extensive blowing and drifting snow and plummeting temperatures.
As Des Moines’ second snowstorm of the week punished the area with more than 6 inches of fresh snow, Iowans could be forgiven for getting whiplash from how quickly the weather changed.
Des Moines received an estimated 21.3 inches of snow since Monday, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Chad Hahn. That would be just shy of the all-time record for a five-day stretch.
Des Moines’ highest five-day snow total came when 22.7 inches fell between Dec. 28, 1941, and Jan. 1, 1942, according to the NWS. The city got 20.2 inches of snow from March 14-18 1923 and 17.7 inches from Dec. 5-9, 2009.
Elsewhere in the state, totals from Friday’s storm topped 1 foot with Fairfield reporting 14 inches of fresh snow, 13 in Muscatine and Washington with 12 inches.
But as snow drifts grow ever higher, temperatures will sink to dangerously cold levels over the next few days as arctic air flows into the Midwest.
Wind chills were expected to dip into the negative 20s overnight on Friday and won’t climb above 0 until Wednesday, said NWS meteorologist Alexis Jimenez.
Des Moines’ second-warmest December on record
Des Moines had an average temperature of 37.4 degrees in December, making it the warmest December since 1889, according to WOI. Nine days had temperatures of more than 50 degrees, including Dec. 7 when the city hit a high of 61 degrees. Only on Dec. 31 did the city have a high temperature below freezing, and on that day the high was 31 degrees.
Overall Iowa experienced its third-warmest December in 151 years, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
‘Wind chills can be life-threatening’
Just last week Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said before an interview with the Des Moines Register that he was thankful that he had not gotten to experience the worst of Iowa’s winter weather as he campaigned. Now, ‘life-threatening’ wind chills are on the way.
Within about a week in January, the National Weather Service has issued a flurry of winter weather watches and warnings. In the last week, it has issued a blizzard warning, winter storm warnings, winter storm watches, winter weather advisories, wind chill warnings, wind chill watches and wind chill advisories.
On Wednesday night the weather service even issued a rare snow squall warning when a snow squall hit the Des Moines metro area, bringing 1.2 inches of snow in a short duration.
The snow Friday made travel conditions dangerous, but sub-zero temperatures will settle in through at least Tuesday, according to the NWS. Arctic air will spill into the Midwest, and could lead to record low temperatures of negative 20 degrees or negative 30 degrees, according to an NWS forecast.
On Saturday, Des Moines will have a high temperature of 5 degrees and a low of minus 13 degrees, according to the NWS. Sunday’s high of minus 5 degrees will not feel so high, and winds could gust as high as 20 to 30 mph. Wind chills on Sunday could make it feel as cold as minus 30 to minus 35 degrees.
Some places in the Midwest could approach real temperatures of 40 degrees below zero, according to the NWS. These extreme temperatures can cause frostbite within minutes, an NWS forecast warned.
“These temperatures and wind chills can be life-threatening for stranded motorists,” the NWS warned.
Temperatures will slowly rise throughout the start of next week, but wind chills are expected to stay below 0 until Wednesday. For Monday’s Iowa Caucuses, Des Moines has a forecast high of minus 3 degrees. Tuesday’s temperatures could finally rise above zero with a forecast high of 1 degree, according to the NWS.
Friday blizzard caused delays and dangerous travel
Friday’s storm hobbled much of the Midwest. Winter storm warnings were issued from eastern Nebraska and northern Missouri to the upper peninsula of Michigan. The greatest impacts from Friday’s snowstorm were expected place portions of Wisconsin and Michigan where more than a foot of snow was expected and winds of 40 to 50 mph could produce blizzard conditions.
In Iowa, large portions of the state’s highways were rated “travel not advised” for most of Friday as Iowa Department of Transportation plows struggled to keep up with Mother Nature. On social media, the DOT said some roads were covered in drifts within minutes of plows passing through.
The Iowa State Patrol said at 10 p.m. that it had responded to more than 70 crashes across the state, including 14 with injuries and 436 calls to assist motorists.
An “energetic” jet stream is driving a pair of storms across the country, and leading to this weekend’s active weather, to the NWS. In the southeast thunderstorms producing tornadoes and damaging winds could flare up this weekend, according to the NWS.
Des Moines Register reporter Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez contributed to this report.
Philip Joens covers public safety, retail, real estate and RAGBRAI for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184, pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.
Iowa
Tamin Lipsey injury update, the latest on Iowa State basketball guard
Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger updates on Tamin Lipsey’s health
Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger updates on Tamin Lipsey’s health
LAS VEGAS — After getting time to further evaluate Tamin Lipsey’s status, Iowa State basketball ruled out the senior standout before the Cyclones’ 78-60 win over Creighton on Tuesday, Nov. 25.
Beyond that, though, his status remains unclear. Following Tuesday’s win over the Bluejays, head coach T.J. Otzelberger said that Lipsey remains day-to-day with a groin injury.
“The decision was made this morning,” Otzelberger said. “Wanted to give it as much time as we could to see and Tamin certainly knows his body better, so we’ll just continue to evaluate it. It’ll stay as day-to-day, work with him and our training staff.”
It is not the same groin injury that Lipsey sustained towards the end of last season.
Lipsey’s latest injury occurred in the Cyclones’ 83-82 win over St. John’s. With 2:09 left in the game, Lipsey was hobbling while scrambling over to contest a shot. He went down to the side and did not return to the game.
Through five games this season, Lipsey is averaging 18.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.2 steals per game, while shooting 50.7% overall.
The Ames native was off to an impressive start this year and appeared to be the healthiest he had been in his career after playing through the 2024-25 season while dealing with various injuries. He suffered an MCL injury that required him to miss six weeks of the preseason, but there didn’t seem to be any lingering effects once he returned for the regular-season opener.
Although an exact timetable for a return is uncertain, Otzelberger said the emphasis is on Lipsey’s health.
Iowa State improved to 6-0 overall and awaits its opponent for the third game of the Players Era Festival. The Cyclones won both of their games against St. John’s and Creighton, but they’ll need to wait out the results of the remaining games on Tuesday to see if they’ll play in the championship, third-place contest or one of the consolation games.
“We don’t want him to feel any additional pressure,” Otzelberger said. “As much as we’re competitive and want to win every game, Tamin has done so much for our program. We want him to be healthy. We want his body to feel great, and we want him to be at his best, and we’ll be disciplined until that time comes.”
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
Iowa
Iowa Supreme Court upholds $4.25 million wrongful death verdict against Manchester police
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld a $4.25 million wrongful death verdict against the city of Manchester in the death of 31-year-old Gus Mormann, who died following a police chase in December 2020.
Mormann was killed after Lt. James Wessels of the Manchester Police Department continued a high-speed chase that other agencies had discontinued. The chase ended when Wessels crashed into Mormann’s motorcycle, severely injuring him. Mormann died about a month later from his injuries.
The case was never initially investigated until Mormann’s family took matters into their own hands, according to their attorney, Dave O’Brien.
“This case, for example, was never even investigated. No one would have ever heard of it if this family hadn’t sat down and said We’re going to get to the bottom of this,” O’Brien said.
Mormann’s mother, Sandra, described her son as someone who “had a lot of friends, everybody just loved him.” She said he was known as a character who always made people laugh and was an avid outdoorsman. Mormann lived with schizophrenia and had previous encounters with Manchester police.
On December 10, 2020, Mormann was riding his motorcycle despite having a suspended license when a police chase began. Eight law enforcement officers from the state patrol, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, and the Manchester Police were involved as Mormann travelled at 100 mph.
The State Patrol and County Sheriff’s Office discontinued the chase, but Wessels continued pursuing Mormann. O’Brien said the police officer bumped Mormann’s motorcycle twice, causing him to crash.
Initially, Mormann’s parents were only told their son had gone into a ditch and was thrown from his motorcycle.
A jury found the police were reckless and disregarded Mormann’s rights, awarding the family $4.25 million. The Iowa Supreme Court upheld that verdict last week.
O’Brien said cases like this don’t happen often, but when they do, they set a precedent.
“We honour officers in Iowa, but if they are committing reckless, egregious, wrongful conduct, we’re going to hold them accountable,” O’Brien said.
The attorney noted this outcome would have been impossible without Mormann’s parents pushing for answers. Sandra Mormann said the family continues to grieve.
“Now we just have a broken heart, empty soul,” she said.
O’Brien said the city still has avenues to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, but he believes that is unlikely to happen.
Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa
25 burning questions we have entering the 2025-26 Iowa high school boys basketball season
Trevin Jirak on Valley basketball’s win over Waukee Northwest
Trevin Jirak breaks down Valley’s win over Waukee Northwest in the Iowa high school basketball state championship. The Tigers claimed their third-straight title.
The Iowa high school boys basketball season is almost here.
The Des Moines Register came up with 25 questions we’re asking about the upcoming IHSAA season, which begins on Dec. 1. Most questions focus on Des Moines-area teams, but our staff was also curious about teams and players all around the state.
The answers to these questions will be revealed over the next few months.
25 questions entering the 2025-26 Iowa high school boys basketball season
- What does back-to-back-to-back state champion Valley look like under a new head coach and without players like Jayden McGregory, Kiki Deng, Trevin Jirak and Zay Robinson?
- With three of its five starters back – including Division I-bound big men Colin Rice and Landon Davis – is last season’s runner-up Waukee Northwest the favorite in Class 5A?
- Ames graduated most of its starting lineup from last year’s 21-win campaign. How many wins can the Little Cyclones pull off this season?
- Who will fill the Anthony Galvin-sized gap in Cedar Falls’ lineup?
- Cael LaFrentz scored 400 points as a sophomore and 701 as a junior. Can he break the 800-point mark in his final season of high school basketball?
- Is Des Moines Roosevelt the top team in the DMPS?
- Only one team across the state finished last season with an undefeated record. Can any programs do that this year?
- Players like Jevyn Severson (Madrid) and Pete Craig (Waukee) made an instant impact in their freshman year. Who will be the top first-year high school player in the state this season?
- Does Cedar Rapids Kennedy bring back enough firepower to return to the Casey’s Center for the fifth-straight season?
- Can Hudson Lorensen, Hudson Shull and Trey Bryte lead ADM back to the state tournament – and past the semifinals?
- Who will emerge as the best big man in Iowa?
- Will junior Lincoln Norris (Knoxville) sink over 100 3-pointers for the second-straight season?
- Can MOC-Floyd Valley make another surprising run in the state tournament, despite graduating three starters from last year’s championship-winning lineup?
- Dallas Center-Grimes graduated its leading scorer and leading assist-getter. Who will take over for Kyle Cason and Mateo Dzolota?
- Only one Iowa high school boys basketball player has ever scored over 1,000 points in a single season: Wapsie Valley’s Brooks McKowen in 2003. Are there any players capable of hitting that mark this year?
- Madrid capped an undefeated season with the Class 1A state title. After graduating three starting seniors – Brody Buck, Fabian Ortiz-Alaniz and Toryn Severson – can the Tigers make it back to the tournament?
- Will Des Moines Christian make it to the state tournament after coming up short last season?
- Jaxon Clark opted to return to Keokuk instead of playing for Montverde Academy. Will he lead the state in rebounds?
- Iowa City Liberty relied on a lot of young players last year. Can Jerimiah Washpun – who scored 437 points – and his teammates help the Lightning to a winning record?
- Dual-sport recruit Evan Jacobson opted to play his final season of high school basketball instead of graduating early. How far can he take Waukee after leading the Warriors in points and rebounds last year?
- Of the top 10 scorers in Class 5A from last season, seven graduated. Will Rio Aguirre (Ankeny), Washpun (Iowa City Liberty), Tevin Schultz (Dubuque Senior) or someone else emerge as the top scorer in Iowa’s largest class?
- What does Linn-Mar look like without Davis Kern on the court?
- It’s been a couple of years since Pryce Sandfort (Waukee Northwest) scored over 600 points in a single season. Will any player in Class 5A break the 600-point mark?
- West Lyon came up short last season, losing to Western Christian in the state title game. Can Jorden Meyer, Jared Ciesielski and Ben Meyer lead the Wildcats back to the state tournament?
- Which program – across all four classes – has the best shot of winning its first-ever state championship?
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
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